3.19.2011

belgian waffles

There's nothing quite like the early morning smell of a yeasty something and the sizzle of a porky other to make one feel like it's going to be a great day. Plus, the bonus of "Yes! Spring is Finally Here!" sunny weather on a Saturday...

The Nieces and Nephew stayed overnight and I wanted to do a special breakfast for them. Menu: belgian waffles and canadian bacon. Please don't judge me, but Krusteaz has always been the go-to mix for waffles. For convenience, I love it. I figured, however, it's high time to try something from scratch. This recipe is from allrecipes.com and has garnered pretty high ratings.

The texture was perfect— slightly spongy and fluffy with a bit of crispness.

You can see the air pockets in the dough.

The ice cream (we had no whipped) added extra points in the kids' minds.

Definitely worth the effort.

Belgian Waffles
from allrecipes.com

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

¼ cup warm milk (110º F)

3 eggs, separated

2¾ cups warm milk (110ºF), divided

¾ cup butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm

½ cup granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the warm milk and the melted butter. Stir in the yeast mixture, sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir in the remaining 2 1/2 cups milk alternately with the flour, ending with the flour. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks; fold into the batter. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat the waffle iron. Brush with oil and spoon about 1/2 cup (or as recommended by manufacturer) onto center of iron. Close the lid and bake until it stops steaming and the waffle is golden brown. Serve immediately or keep warm in 200º F oven.